Brothers
by Merilsell
Summary: Short drabbles about Ryuuki/Seien/Seiran being brotherly cute and their lives in general.
1. Frog

**A/N: Short drabble about Ryuuki/Seien being brotherly cute. Beware chibi-Ryuuki has kitten cuteness that can kill and/or break hearts xD OS for now but I might add more chapters concerning Ryuuki/Seien and/or Ryuuki/Seiran later on, when another idea hits me. Its actually planned that this is going to be a Ryuuki/Seiran/Seien-centric drabble series.**

_**Disclaimer:** As always I own nothing, Sai Yukino does own all._**  
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**_Chapter 1: Frog_

Ryuuki held still and didn´t moved while his elder brother kept hitting him, with his fists and feet. He didn´t even whimper, he knew there was no sense in doing so, for it would only strengthen up the pleasure for his brother and motivated him to even beat him up more.

„How dare you to answer me back, you little brat?, the third prince spitted, his voice trembling of animosity. „Know your place, you are nothing, NOTHING!!!"

„Oh, how so, I wonder?", suddenly an ice cold voice broke through the prince´s rage and forced him instantly to stop. He turned around, just to look in the hateful, calculating eyes of his brother Seien, who was staring back at him, full of derision.

„How so I wonder, he repeated. If he´s nothing then WHAT are _you_, hmm?"

_Seien-anuie_, thought Ryuuki assuaged, but still didn´t dare to move, because he knew his elder brother was still in front of him and could hit him anytime. Every spot of his tiny body ached but that didn´t matter for Ryuuki anymore, because Seien-anuie was there to help him now.

„Seien, I-I didn´t hear you approaching", the third prince answered lightly startled.

„I guess you were busy then, right? Did I interrupt something, younger brother?", Seien questioned in an innocent singsong, which tone jolted a shower over the prince´s back.

The prince growled out of frustration, he was clever enough to understand this mere sentence of Seien as a threat and knew exactly what he was capable of. „Fine, then. Take that bastard, you spoiled all the fun anyway." With a last spiteful look to the coiled up purple bunch in the grass, he turned around and ran away to the inner palace rooms.

Seien waited until he was out of sight, before he squatted down to his youngest brother. His eyes seemed to soften up, as well his voice. „That low-life is gone, you can look up now." His brother obeyed immediately, cocked his head and watched up to Seien ...and smiled. Seien couldn´t help but to be astonished about the little boy in front of him, he was covered in bruises, probably in pain but smiled at him as if nothing had happened.

„Really, Ryuuki look at you, he sighed, you are all dirty and hurt again. Haven´t I told you to hold distance to our idiotic brothers? I can´t protect you all the time."

His words seem to break Ryuuki´s smiling facade „Seien-aaaaniuuuue", he cried out loud and stormed into his arms, sobbing heavily. Seien was too surprised at Ryuuki´s immediate reaction, so he just stood there for a moment, trying to appease his devastated little brother in his arms, whose tears were flowing over his cheeks and slowly wetted his robe by now. Seien´s heart could not get easily moved, but if there was something which made it possible that he felt his heart aching, it was seeing his little brother crying like this. _Those bastards, one day they will pay for this_, he thought angrily.

„It´s okay Ryuuki, it´s over now." He took the little boy carefully up, onto his arms, „Come on, lets treat your wounds." Ryuuki´s sobbing started to cease, he looked inquiringly to his brother, his eyes still blurred from the tears. He would never cry in front of the other elder brothers of his but in Seien´s arms it was okay to give in that the bruises hurt, for he would make the pain go away again.

„Where are we going?", Ryuuki quietly asked, his head and tiny hands nuzzled into the robe of his brother.

„To the pond, I´ll need a bit of water to wash your face", Seien shortly replied, while he took another turn to arrive at their destination. He let the little boy down and teared the fabric of one of his sleeves apart until he had a good amount of fabric in his hands.

„Aniue, you destroy your robe!", exclaimed Ryuuki bewildered.

„Yes, that´s part of the plan", he smiled and dipped a bit of the fabric in the cold water of the pond and bowed down to his brother.

„Now, please hold still, Ryuuki", Seien said and began to carefully clean the dirty and bruised face of his brother. The little prince winced slightly at its contact, but did not complain, the cold water felt good on his wounded skin after all.

_Croak, croak..._

_Croak croak..._

Weird little quacking noises came out of the direction of Ryuuki´s sleeve. Seien confused the sound but he thought it was from the frogs behind them in the pond, so he continued his treating.

_Croak, croak..._

There it was again. Now Seien stopped his doing, as he saw with bewilderment how Ryuuki´s mouth flew open and how his face suddenly brightened up in realization „Sei-chaaaan, you are alive", he squealed and fumbled with his tiny hands into his sleeves. The next thing Seien saw was a little green frog, sitting calmly in the palm of Ryuuki´s hand.

„Sei-chan you are okay. Oh Ryuuki is soooo happy now", he squeaked cheery. He completely had forgotten about his pain or aching bruises by now.

„Sei-chan? You gave a frog a name?", Seien quirked one eyebrow.

„Yes, I named it after Aniue," he declared proudly.

„You named a frog...after me??", Seien was utterly perplexed.

„Haaiiii, this is Sei-chan. I named him after Anuie because he was there for me and played with me when I was lonely, but he´s soooo little thats why I named him Sei-chan and not Sei--eeen", Ryuuki explained with starry eyes. „Are you angry now, aniue that the frog has the same name?

„No, no, Seien laughed. I think in this case it is okay." Deep inside, his heart got moved a bit more, which only Ryuuki was able to do so easily.

„B-But then Sei-chan ran away and I was afraid that he get hurt so I followed him as fast I could", he told Seien excited with waving arms „...and that´s how I met elder brother. He was about to stomp on Sei chan, so I screamed that he should go away. Fortunately he hopped into my direction again and I put him into my sleeves again but than elder brother..." Ryuuki´s voice broke.

„I knew it was stupid of Ryuuki to scream at the mean elder brother, but I had to protect little Sei-chan... like Seien-anuie always protects me", he nodded resolutely with a serious expression in his face. „But after he started beating me, I was soo afraid that Sei-chan gets hurt, so I´m really, really glad that he is okay."

Seien was again astonished by this little boy, he indeed never ceased to surprise him. Ryuuki braced up all his courage, yelled at the third prince even in the knowledge he would get beaten badly by him for that. All this in order to protect this little creature? That was remarkable, probably remarkable stupid but also innocent, cute act, because he had thought of the frog as his little brother, he had to take care of. Inwardly Seien regretted that Ryuuki presumably never was going to be king, because he was the only one with a heart, a conscience and compassion for others in this cold, heartless place. Even Seien couldn´t say this from himself, was his heart most the time frozen and melted only in the bright eyes of his little brother. All what he could do is to protect that pure heart of him as good he was capable to protect it, so that Ryuuki could remain the kind little person he now was.

The childish voice of Ryuuki put him out of his thoughts „Oh look Seien-anuie, seems like that Sei-chan wanted to go home", he exclaimed surprised, as the frog hopped down from his hands and into the direction of the pond ..until he eventually disappeared with a tiny plop into it.

„But I did protect Sei-chan, didn´t I?", Ryuuki looked inquiring at his brother, eyes-widened.

„Yes, smiled Seien and tousled the little boy´s hair." You really did well, Ryuuki."

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**A/N: Okay it became a longer drabble after all but hence...it kills with cuteness :D Little Ryuuki is cuter than a basket full of little puppy's. Period. Also it seems like I never can keep things short xD However I will add a new short story as soon my plot bunny inspires me enough again. It seems to be a good balance to all the angst cookies I´m currently eating in my other story.**


	2. Bitter memories

**Brothers chapter 2:**_ Bitter memories_

**Chars:** _Ryuuki-centric this time... with bits of Shuurei._

**Warning:** _None._

**Summary:** _Ryuuki remembering on his mother and bitter childhood. _

**Disclaimer:** _Still applies. _

**A/N: **_Nothing special really. Just an idea that popped up in my mind, so I wrote this short drabble down. For me this is a good exercise to get rid of my writers block. Have fun with that bit ^^_

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„How are the manjuu´s, Ryuuki?" an inquiring gaze met Ryuuki´s eyes. The gleam of expectation in her eyes made him smile. He loved how she could get excited about things so small.

„As always fantastic, Shuurei. We love your manjuu´s," he declared cheery, after he had swallowed the first bits down.

A faint smile curved around her lips. „Thank you", she nodded pleased and then took one of her delicious buns for herself to eat. Ryuuki looked a bit absent-minded at the manjuu in his hand.

„Umm,...we never asked you but where did Shuurei learn to cook so good? Especially those manjuu´s?"

„Huh?" Shuurei looked up, surprised. „Well, um... I had to learn it since my father isn´t really skilled in the kitchen, she smiled shyly before adding hesitantly,...and after all someone had to cook after my mother died."

„Oh sorry, we didn´t want to bring up bad memories," he looked apologetic at her and felt guilty for bringing up that topic as he noticed the sad undertone in her voice.

„No its okay, they aren´t that bad after all. Actually I learned to make those manjuu´s from my mother. Not that she was a good cook, no most the time she was as clumsy as otou-san in the kitchen." On that thought one corner of her mouth quirked up to a wry smile. Then her eyes seemed to lighten up. „But her manjuu´s were always great and she patiently showed me how to make them, no matter how many times I failed in it before."

Ryuuki was watching her closely as she enthusiastically continued to tell about her mother. Although Shuurei had lost her when she was just a little girl, she was able to talk about her mother so vividly. Despite that awful experience she was able to maintain the good memories on her mother. _Good memories.._.a part of him couldn´t help to envy her for that. His thoughts trailed off, far away from Shuurei, from the present.

_Mother... _

Ryuuki never had a person he could call like that. He remembered on the hateful expression in his mother´s eyes when she looked at him. How her nails scratched easily through the soft flesh of his face. How she did blame him for losing her beauty. And how much fear he felt when she was locking him up in a dark place for days.

To Ryuuki reminding on his mother wasn´t really pleasant, like it was to Shuurei. He was only an unwanted child who was nothing more than bothersome to the woman who gave birth to him. His mother never cared or loved him. So remembering on her was nothing more than a collection of bitter memories for Ryuuki. He never learned the meaning of the word mother, like Shuurei did. That was why he couldn´t help but to envy her.

„Ryuuki?"

The worried undertone in Shuurei´s voice put him out of his thoughts, back to the present. Then he looked up again just to meet a pair of sorrowful eyes, watching him intently. Those warm, brown eyes of her which he learned to love and which were able to dispel his bitter memories just by looking in those.

„Everything okay, Ryuuki? You looked so sad for a moment, I was worried." Her concern was genuine.

He noticed one single tear in the wink of his eye and wiped it away with his finger. He swallowed hard before he answered „ Ahh...yes, sorry. W-We just remembered something."


	3. Light

_**Brothers chapter 3:** Light._

_**Chars:**_ Seiran_-centric this time._

_**Warning:**__ A bit angsty maybe (but not much.) It´s Seiran after all._

_**Summary:**_ _Seiran´s thoughts on love._

_**Disclaimer:**_ _Still applies. Even for drabbles._

_**A/N:** Again an idea which popped up in my head. My first, little take on Seiran alone. Cuz character-analyzes in story form is love. Hope I didn´t screw it up, lol._

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_That night Seiran did not find any sleep. He sat in his bed for endless hours, thinking about the things he said to Shuurei.

"_One day, you will fall in love. I´ve known that for a long time now. But if this man going to be your partner. I´d be the much better choice."_

He had embraced her then and said that he only wished for her happiness. None of those words to her were a lie. He only wanted to protect her from the bottomless darkness that man would mean to her. He would never allow that Shuurei got deceived by words and dragged into the snake pit Sakujun was. Yet one thought hunted him since then;

Would he be really the better choice?

He as well was filled with endless darkness. At some days the other side of him stirred so loudly within him that he was afraid to get drowned into that darkness. The past of being someone who was not allowed to live, nor to die. Someone in space between - with no place to belong to still haunted him at times. Though, in times when he didn´t know who he was or when the darkness threatened to devour him, there was always that tiny hand and that smile who kept him from falling, struggling. Shuurei was his light in the darkness. Since the day she had reached out her little hand to him on the road in the Sa Province, where they found him . But that was also a side of him, Seiran could never show to his lady. He was too afraid of it, of the consequences when she´d find out the truth. What if she wouldn´t accept him after knowing his past, who he really was? He didn´t want to see the fear in her eyes, fear he had caused in so many pair of eyes before. Alone the thought of seeing the same fear in _her_ eyes hurt him too much. He loved Shuurei and would give his life to protect her. Yet, it wasn´t that kind of love his brother felt for her, there were no romantic feelings involved in his emotions for Shuurei. He just wanted to see her save and happy. _Everything she wouldn´t be with Sakujun, that bastard, _he thought and gritted his teeth.

But what was then love?

Would he ever be able to really love someone?

These were questions, Seiran had no answer for. Unlike his brother, he wasn´t able to show his affection so open-hearted and never could. He rather buried those feelings deep within him, along with the darkness. Would there ever be a woman who could touch his heart _this _way? Someone by whom he could let _all _his guards down and get accepted as a whole by her in return? Was he even capable to love _that _way? Seiran looked out of the window, up to the dawning sky of morning and sighed. His mood started to become gloomier and gloomier, as he suddenly heard Shuurei´s voice through the door.

"Umm, are you awake? Since we have to get ready early today, I´ve already made breakfast. So please come and eat."

Glad to be put out of those thoughts before they became too heavy, he smiled to himself and gave her a short reply. _And once again she was my light_, he thought as he stood up to get ready for the day. As for romantic love, he decided to think about those matters when the time for it would come.

If ever.

For now this kind of love he felt for Shuurei and Ryuuki was enough for him. A love which illuminated the darkness within him.


End file.
